Bird photography
Although I love birds, I’ve never been and I never will be a real twitcher / birder, it’s just not in my genes.
I sure love them, but I love them as every other creature and I couldn’t care less if they’re rare or not. When it comes to bird photography, I have two main interests:
1. The easygoingness of the bird
I use a full frame Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM, which is way too short for photographing camera-shy creatures. Especially when you don’t like to wear camouflage gear either. Because of my very short focal distance I have to come pretty close and the last thing I want to capture is a disturbed, scared or angry bird. I like my models to be fully at ease 😉
2. The setting and light
Personally I prefer a very common bird in special light and beautiful setting above a boring photo of an extremely rare bird. Having said that, of course I do have my preferences, like utterly cute little owlets in fantastic backlight, Eurasian Bitterns doing silly walks, mating Kingfishers on a perch, angry swans, short-eared owls in flight, happily dancing White Throated Dippers, high speed mosquito chasing baby ducklings, god-wit silhouettes at sunset, elegant storks in the snow, imperturbable night-herons, or evil little goslings….
But I can get just as happy with a totally common starling feeding its youngsters or a sparrow enjoying its bath and hopefully this leads to beautiful bird photos with a personal touch…
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Common Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Common Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris)
Egyptian gosling (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Blue heron on a beautiful autumn day
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
It’s actually a cute gosling….
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Blue heron on a beautiful autumn day
Portrait of a Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern (Botaurus Stellaris) using its camouflage technique in the snow
Mute Swan (Cynus olor)
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus, previously Strix otus)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
Eurasian Bittern flying from a reed bed
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus, previously Strix otus)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Egyptian gosling
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Wild Duckling (Anas platyrhynchos)
Geese at sunrise
Eurasian bittern participating Ministry of Silly Walks
Egyptian goslings (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Wild Duck | Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Wild Duckling (Anas platyrhynchos)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Mute swan (Cygnus olor) (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Blue heron on a beautiful autumn day
Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)